January 11, 2010

In its list of The 50 Best Inventions of 2009, TIME magazine has found the ultimate way to work for your food: a human powered vending machine. At Stereo-Noise, the Barcelona workshop of Pep Torres, a stationary bike is attached to a vending machine so any customer who wants an item would have to pedal a designated distance in order to get it. Although the vending machine has yet to take hold--so far it has only been installed at a Spanish baked-goods company--Torres has high hopes for the contraption.

Air travelers going through whole-body scanners don't need to worry about radiation from the devices, according to the American College of Radiology. "The ACR is not aware of any evidence that either of the scanning technologies that the TSA is considering would present significant biological effects for passengers screened," the group says in a statement provided to WebMD. The Transportation Safety Administration says that millimeter wave technology exposes a passenger to 10,000 times less radiation energy than a cell phone does. The TSA says a backscatter X-ray scan gives a person as much radiation as he or she would get from two minutes of flying in an airplane at 30,000 feet.

Diets, diet pills and deprivation be damned. There’s a new weight loss aid that’s being touted in the media, in doctor’s offices and in gyms nationwide and it’s as easy as counting sheep. Yup, it’s sleep. Sleep is being talked about as the new panacea for not only increasing one’s energy but for losing weight. Apparently, when we’re tired, we crave energy in the form of carbohydrates to keep us going. You know the cycle: a morning muffin quells hunger while providing a burst of energy to get through until lunch. A mid-afternoon snack of pretzels, cookies or candy provides a quick pick-me-up. It’s unhealthy eating, to be sure, but it’s fast, easy, accessible and we all do it. When we overeat, which we tend to do when we’re fatigued, our body stores those carbs in the form of fat. Get